Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 60 – Yellow grade inferior

"Xiao Xiu!"

Seeing Luo Xiu covered in blood, his parents and sister were filled with worry.

His sister, Luo Xiu'er, came over to support him. Luo Xiu smiled and said, "Sis, it's okay now."

"Let's go."

Ye Xiangdou spoke, regarding the Azure Guards of the Martial Hall as nothing more than a rabble.

At that moment, a commotion erupted at the entrance of the Martial Hall. Shen Gaojian and two elders of the Martial Hall emerged, surrounded by a group of people.

When Shen Gaojian saw Ye Xiangdou beside Luo Xiu, his pupils involuntarily contracted.

Within Yunlong Prefecture, there are eighteen cities, each with a Martial Hall and branches of the four major guilds.

Although Shen Gaojian had never met the president of the Qingyun City Hunter Guild, it wasn't hard to guess his identity because Ye Xiangdou wore a four-star Hunter Emblem on his chest.

"Are you President Ye?" Shen Gaojian cupped his hands in salute.

"Indeed." Ye Xiangdou did not deny it.

Shen Gaojian took a deep breath and said, "President Ye is a Martial Grandmaster, and I dare not offend you. However, I must boldly ask if you could hand over Luo Xiu, who has been designated by the high-ranking officials of the Free Spirit Sect for capture."

Ye Xiangdou remained expressionless and said calmly, "You should have heard of the bounty tasks of our Hunter Guild, right?"

Shen Gaojian nodded, his face full of confusion.

"Since you know about the bounty tasks, I have accepted the bounty task issued by Luo Xiu. You can go back and tell Lu Feichen that if he wants to pursue this, he should go to the Hunter Guild in Yunlong Prefecture Capital." Ye Xiangdou said.

"What?" Shen Gaojian was stunned.

A bounty task issued by Luo Xiu? Could he afford to hire a Martial Grandmaster?

Not only him, but even Lu Feichen could never have imagined such a turn of events.

Everyone underestimated Luo Xiu, thinking he was just a talented Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist.

Born into poverty without any backing, he managed to issue a bounty task and hire a Martial Grandmaster from the Hunter Guild?

Once a bounty task is accepted, it means Luo Xiu will be protected by the Hunter Guild!

In Yunlong Prefecture, the eighteen city branches of the Hunter Guild are all under the jurisdiction of the Hunter Guild in Yunlong Prefecture Capital.

And the president there is someone even the Inner Sect Elders look up to, and even the Sect Master must show respect!

Even the Hunter Guild in Yunlong Prefecture Capital is just a branch of the Hunter Guild.

In the face of the entire Hunter Guild, the Free Spirit Sect, which seems to dominate Yunlong Prefecture, must bow its head.

While Shen Gaojian was still in shock, Ye Xiangdou and Luo Xiu's family had already left.

From beginning to end, he didn't dare to order anyone to act because even Lu Feichen couldn't afford to provoke the Hunter Guild.

It was a long time before Shen Gaojian, with trembling hands, took out the Sound Transmission Box and sent the news to the Outer Sect Leader, Lu Feichen.

...

"Crack!"

Far away in Yunlong Prefecture Capital, upon receiving the news, Lu Feichen crushed the Sound Transmission Box in his hand.

He hadn't expected that despite his meticulous planning, Luo Xiu could enlist a Martial Grandmaster and gain the protection of the Hunter Guild.

This undoubtedly planted a seed of disaster for his future plans. If his daughter Mengyao learned that Luo Xiu was still alive, it would surely affect his ability to gain the support of Elder Gou and the other two.

"No wonder Luo Xiu could rise so quickly, reaching the third layer of the Qi Sea Realm from the second layer of Body Refining in just half a year. He must have had some fortuitous encounter; otherwise, his astonishing cultivation speed is inexplicable."

"And with the strength of the third layer of the Qi Sea Realm surpassing the seventh layer, the opportunity he obtained might be the legacy of a Martial King, a treasure trove!"

Lu Feichen's expression was terrifyingly dark, regretting not taking action in Yunlong Prefecture Capital.

However, Lu Feichen quickly calmed down, thinking, "The Hunter Guild can't protect Luo Xiu forever. Bounty tasks have time limits. When the time comes, as long as he's in Yunlong Prefecture, he will eventually die!"

"If he uses the teleportation formation to leave Yunlong Prefecture, it won't affect my plans. As long as I can gain the support of Elder Gou and the other two, and my master secures the position of Sect Master, I will have the opportunity to break through to the King of Martial Dao Realm."

Lu Feichen planned in his heart, no longer caring whether his daughter Lu Mengyao would one day learn the truth.

Stepping into the King of Martial Dao Realm had become an obsession for Lu Feichen, a heart demon!

...

Qingyun City.

Back at the Hunter Guild, Ye Xiangdou used the teleportation formation to directly arrive at the Yunlong Prefecture Capital branch of the Hunter Guild.

In a secret chamber, Ye Xiangdou, the Martial Grandmaster, met the president of the Yunlong Prefecture Capital branch.

The branches of the Hunter Guild are meticulously graded, generally divided into nine levels, with level one being the lowest and level nine the highest. Above the nine-level branches is the headquarters!

Tianwu Kingdom has eight provinces and thirteen prefectures. In each prefecture, there is a level one branch, and the many branches under its jurisdiction are also ordinary level one branches.

In the eight provinces, there are level two branches, and only in the imperial capital of Tianwu Kingdom is there a unique level three branch.

Depending on the level of the branch, the strength of the presiding president varies greatly.

The Qingyun City branch, being the lowest level one branch, has Ye Xiangdou, a Martial Grandmaster at the third layer of the Spirit Refining Realm, presiding, which shows how powerful the entire Hunter Guild is.

The president of the Yunlong Prefecture Capital branch is at the third layer of the King Realm. In the entire Yunlong Prefecture, only the Sect Master of the Free Spirit Sect has a cultivation level comparable to his, but due to the special status of the Hunter Guild, the Sect Master must adopt a very humble attitude in front of the branch president.

"You say a young man at the third layer of the Qi Sea Realm wields a Swift Sword capable of defeating someone at the seventh layer of the Qi Sea Realm with a single strike?"

The president of the Yunlong Prefecture Capital branch listened to Ye Xiangdou's words, his eyes narrowing with interest.

This branch president appeared to be a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a scholar's robe, looking refined and extraordinary.

"Indeed." Ye Xiangdou respectfully said, then took out a booklet, "This is the information I've gathered about Luo Xiu."

The scholarly middle-aged man raised his hand, and an invisible force pulled the booklet into his palm.

As he casually flipped through it, his brows furrowed slightly, "A fourteen-year-old at the third layer of the Qi Sea Realm? That talent is quite ordinary."

If anyone heard this, they would be astonished, because reaching the third layer of the Qi Sea Realm at fourteen is considered a remarkable talent even in the Free Spirit Inner Sect.

But in the eyes of this scholarly middle-aged man, it was merely ordinary.

However, as he continued reading, his expression became more animated, "Interesting, interesting..."

"From ten to thirteen, he only reached the second layer of Body Refining, but in just about half a year, he made rapid progress. Even if this young man had a late start in martial arts, he must have had some significant fortuitous encounter."

The scholarly middle-aged man smiled as he commented, looking at Ye Xiangdou, "You say he presented a sixth-grade martial art and an Earth-Grade Low Tier Battle Sword?"

"Yes." Ye Xiangdou respectfully replied.

"An Earth-Grade Low Tier War Armament is usually in the hands of those at the King Realm. A few top Martial Grandmasters and some geniuses from major forces can also possess them. To have such an opportunity in this small Yunlong Prefecture, this young man is quite fortunate."

The scholarly man continued to smile, "However, an opportunity is just an opportunity. Without sufficient talent, even the greatest opportunity would be wasted."

"Indeed, I also believe that Luo Xiu's talent is promising and worth nurturing, which is why I came to recommend him to you, President." Ye Xiangdou said.

The Hunter Guild's power is vast, naturally supported by strong individuals, so they also recruit and nurture talents to consolidate their position.

However, the Hunter Guild has very high standards for talents. Those considered treasures by the Free Spirit Sect are not even qualified to be recruited by the Hunter Guild.

The scholarly man nodded, "From what we see now, Luo Xiu barely qualifies to be recruited as an internal member, temporarily classified as Yellow Grade Low."

He looked at Ye Xiangdou, "This matter will be handled by you."

"Yes!" Ye Xiangdou respectfully agreed.

After Ye Xiangdou left, the scholarly man put down the booklet about Luo Xiu and smiled, "I've been stationed in this Yunlong Prefecture branch for over seventy years, and this is the first time I've found a talent worth nurturing. I hope this young man won't disappoint me."

Meanwhile, at the Qingyun City Hunter Guild branch, Luo Xiu was comforting his parents and sister.

They were ordinary people without martial arts aptitude, and despite being rescued, they were still shaken by the ordeal.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Luo Xiu opened it to find Ye Xiangdou, the Martial Grandmaster.

"Luo Xiu, come with me." Ye Xiangdou said.

Luo Xiu, without suspicion, followed Ye Xiangdou to a quiet room.

"Sit." After Ye Xiangdou sat down, he pointed to the chair opposite him.

Luo Xiu thanked him and sat across from Ye Xiangdou.

"Luo Xiu, just now, I went to the Yunlong Prefecture Capital branch and informed the president about your situation."

Ye Xiangdou said, "I believe you have great talent, so I recommended you to the branch president. The president agreed and expressed willingness to recruit you as an internal member of the Hunter Guild."

"You should know that only the branch president has the authority to recruit talents as internal members. In a hundred years in Yunlong Prefecture, no one has ever been qualified for recruitment."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu was taken aback, "Recruit me as an internal member of the Hunter Guild?"

"Indeed, our Hunter Guild stands strong in this world, naturally needing the support of powerful individuals, and those individuals grow from talented individuals like you."

Ye Xiangdou smiled, "Internal members of the Hunter Guild are divided into two types: talents and external recruits."

"For example, I am an external recruit, having applied to join the Hunter Guild after breaking through to the Spirit Refining Realm. After the guild confirmed I wasn't a spy from another force, I became a member."

"And talents are like you, with high potential and no suspicious background. If you grow, your future position in the guild will be much higher than us external recruits."

"What are the benefits of becoming an internal member of the Hunter Guild?" Luo Xiu asked directly.

Ye Xiangdou didn't mind Luo Xiu's straightforwardness and explained, "According to the branch president's evaluation, your talent level is temporarily set as Yellow Grade Low. If you join the guild, the first benefit is the unconditional protection of your family's safety."

"Talents often need to fight and train, making enemies along the way, so the guild ensures you can cultivate and improve without worries."

"Of course, besides this, there are different benefits based on talent levels."

"A Yellow Grade Low talent can receive three martial arts suitable for your current cultivation level, including Internal Cultivation, Martial Techniques, and Movement Techniques. Since you're at the third layer of the Qi Sea Realm, you can receive three fifth-grade martial arts."

"If you already have suitable martial arts, you can choose to reserve this opportunity and select a sixth-grade martial art upon reaching the first layer of the Innate Realm, or a seventh-grade martial art upon reaching the seventh layer of the Innate Realm."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu was slightly surprised, "Reaching the seventh layer of the Innate Realm allows access to seventh-grade martial arts?"

Because, as he knew, obtaining a sixth-grade martial art in the Free Spirit Sect required reaching the Spirit Refining Realm or being a Core Disciple, and seventh-grade martial arts were reserved for the Sect Master's lineage.

Ye Xiangdou nodded, "That's the difference between talents and external recruits. Talents are more valued."

"However, every year, the guild will reassess your talent level. If you no longer meet the requirements, they will cease to nurture you." Ye Xiangdou added.